State Site Features Health Insurance Cost Estimates

CARSON CITY -- A portion of the state's NevadaHealthLink.com web site went online this week, allowing people to calculate how much becoming insured may cost.

Karen Nattress of Reno said tough times have meant some difficult decisions in her household.

"My husband's a truck driver and he gets paid 36 cents a mile, if there's no work, he doesn't drive," she said.

"We're going without insurance right now... we simply can't afford it right now with all the other expenses," she added.

Nattress said she is weighing the cost of becoming insured versus the price of a penalty.

Nevada is set to launch a web site on October 1, which will enable families to compare the costs and benefits of private insurance plans.

John Hager of NevadaHealthLink.com said hundreds of thousands of Nevadans qualify for coverage through the state's online market place. He said assistance is available for many in the form of tax credits, which would function like a discount.

"You could receive a tax credit that's worth quite a bit of money so it would be worth it," he said.

The portion of NevadaHealthLink.com, which estimates the cost of health insurance premiums went online this week. Costs are affected by factors such as income and the number of people in a household.

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